Cable tether system

ABSTRACT

A cable tether system includes a base member and at least one elongate member extending away from the base member. The elongate member is configured to surround at least a portion of a first cable. A second elongate member can be configured to surround at least a portion of a second cable. The base member can include one or more engagement portions that couple with one or more engagement portions on the first and second elongate members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This applications claims priority benefit to U.S. Prov. App. No.61/596,555, filed Feb. 8, 2012, entitled CABLE TETHER SYSTEM, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Cables have become ubiquitous as electronic devices are used throughoutcommercial and non-commercial areas. The cables associated with theseelectronic devices are used to transmit data and/or electricity to andfrom the electronic device. In some fields, such as medical devices,cables are specifically configured to be used with particular medicaldevices and can be expensive.

In many instances, a cable from one electronic device is connected to acable from another electronic device. For instance, disposable pulseoximeter sensors are often attached to a cable, which in turn isattached to another cable from the pulse oximeter. When the disposablepulse oximeter sensors are discarded, the removable cables are oftenunnecessarily discarded as well. This can increase costs as the cablesare later replaced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-B are perspective views of an embodiment of a cable tethersystem.

FIGS. 2A-2C are perspective views of an embodiment of a cable tethersystem connected to two cables.

FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, 6B, and 7 are perspective views of differentembodiments of a cable tether system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of an embodiment of a cable tethersystem 100. The cable tether system 100 of the illustrated embodimentincludes a base member 102 with engagement portions 104A, 104B, andelongate members 106A, 106B, each with an engagement portion 108A, 108B,respectively. The cable tether system 100 can be formed as a singlemolded piece or multiple individual pieces.

The base member 102 can be made of one or more pieces of plastic, suchas elastomeric vinyl, or similar material, and can be made in a varietyof shapes including, but not limited to oval, circle, triangle,quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, or other shape, as desired. Inembodiments where the base member 102 is made of multiple pieces, thepieces can be laminated together or affixed to each other in some otherway. Furthermore, the base member 102 can be as rigid or as flexible asdesired. In some embodiments, the base member 102 is large enough tocover at least one side of the cable connectors when two cables areconnected. In certain embodiments, the base member 102 is large enoughto wrap around the cable connectors when the cables are connected. Thebase member 102 can provide a surface where additional information canbe provided. For example, information regarding the cables'specifications, age, and their use can be provided on the base member102. Additional information can be provided on the base member 102 inthe form of words and/or images that the cables are not to be discarded,instructions for use, etc. The base member 102 can also be used to coverthe ends of the cables to prevent wear.

The elongate members 106A, 106B can be located on opposite ends of thebase member, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, or be on the same end or side.The elongate members 106A, 106B can be made from the same or differentmaterial as the base member 102. The elongate members 106A, 106B can beformed so as to be naturally rounded or naturally straight pieces thatcan be bent. In some embodiments, the elongate members 106A, 106B areless rigid and more flexible than the base member 102. Each elongatemember 106A, 106B wraps around a different cable as will be described ingreater detail below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C. In some embodiments,the elongate members 106A, 106B can be shortened, tightened, or twisted,as desired, to more firmly secure the cables to the cable tether system100.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base member 102 includes engagementportions 104A, 104B. Each engagement portion 104A, 104B includes a firstcavity 105A for inserting the engagement portions 108A, 108B and asecond cavity 105B for securing the engagement portions 108A, 108B. Insome embodiments, the first cavity 105A is larger than the second cavity105B. In certain embodiments the first cavity 105A is smaller than thesecond cavity 105B or is the same size.

In the illustrated embodiment, the engagement portions 104A, 104B arelocated at approximately opposite ends of the base member 102, however,the engagement portions 104A, 104B can be located elsewhere on the basemember 102. For example, the engagement portions 104A, 104B can belocated in the center or on the same end or side of the base member 102.In some embodiments, the engagement portions 104A, 104B include only onecavity each. In certain embodiments, the engagement portions 104A, 104Bcan be merged into a single engagement portion. In such embodiments, thesingle engagement portion can include a larger cavity to insert theengagement portions 108A, 108B and two smaller cavities on either sideof the larger cavity to secure the engagement portions 108A, 108B.Alternatively, the engagement portions 104A, 104B can be located in thecenter as two protrusions that interact with the engagement portions108A, 108B.

At the distal end of each elongate member 106A, 106B is located anengagement portion 108A, 108B, respectively. In some embodiments, theengagement portions 108A, 108B include a protrusion that interacts withcavities of the engagement portions 104A, 104B and can be used to securethe distal end of the of the elongate members 106A, 106B to the basemember 102.

In the illustrated embodiment, each engagement portion 104A, 104Bincludes cavities 105A, 105B and the engagement portions 108A, 108Binclude protrusions, however, in some embodiments, the engagementportions 104A, 104B can include protrusions and the engagement portions108A, 108B can include one or more cavities. Other configurations andmaterials can be used to form the engagement portions 104A, 104B, 108A,108B, such as hook and loop fasteners, clamps, clasps, pins, buckles,hooks, screws, tape, string, wire, etc.

FIGS. 2A-2C are perspective views of an embodiment of the cable tethersystem 100 engaged with two cables 202, 204. As illustrated, theelongate members 106A, 106B wrap around the cables 202, 204,respectively, and the engagement portions 108A, 108B are secured, orlocked, into position within the second cavity 105B (not seen) of theengagement portions 104A, 104B, thereby securing the cables 202, 204 tothe cable tether system 100. In addition, the cable tether system 100includes an image 206 printed on the base member 102 indicating that thecables are not to be discarded or removed. The image 206 can be padprinted with durable sublimating high contrast ink to increase itsdurability.

FIG. 2B is a top perspective view and FIG. 2C is a bottom perspectiveview of the cable tether system 100 engaged with the cables 202, 204when the cables 202, 204 are connected. As illustrated, the elongatemembers 106A, 106B wrap around the cables 202, 204, respectively, andthe engagement portions 108A, 108B are secured to the engagementportions 104A, 104B of the base member 102. In this way, the cables 202,204 are secured to the cable tether system 100. In addition, in someembodiments, the base member 102 substantially covers at least one sideof the cable connectors.

FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, 6B, and 7 are perspective views of variousembodiments of a cable tether system. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of acable tether system 300 that includes a base member 302, elongatemembers 304A, 304B, and cavities 306A, 306B. The base member 302 andelongate members 304A, 304B can be made of plastic, similar to the basemember 102 and elongate members 106A, 106B of FIGS. 1A and 1B. In someembodiments, the cable tether system 300 does not include engagementportions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the elongate members 304A, 304B extendoutward from the base member 302 in substantially opposite directionsfrom one another, however, the elongate members can be positioned in avariety of different locations and can be located on the same side orend of the base member 302. In some embodiments, both ends of theelongate members 304A, 304B are affixed to the base member 302. In someembodiments, the elongate members 304A, 304B can be shortened,tightened, loosened, stretched, or lengthened, to alter the size of thecavities 306A, 306B.

To secure the cable tether system 300 to cables, the connector portionsof the cables can be threaded through the cavities 306A, 306B,respectively. The cavities 306A, 306B can be sized so that theconnectors cannot be easily removed once inserted. For example, thecavities 306A, 306B can be sized so that the connectors can more easilypass through the cavities 306A, 306B when the connector is in a firstorientation with respect to the cavities 306A, 306B. Once threadedthrough the connectors can be moved into a second orientation that makesthem more difficult to remove. The orientations can include, but are notlimited to, vertical, horizontal, a combination thereof, and the like.As mentioned, in some embodiments, the elongate members 304A, 304B canbe tightened, shortened, or twisted to reduce the size of the cavities306A, 306B and to make it more difficult for the cable connectors to bepulled out. In certain embodiments, the elongate members 304A, 304B arestretched to allow the cable connectors to pass through the cavities306A, 306B. Once the cable connectors have passed through the cavities306A, 306B, the elongate members 304A, 304B return to their originalform, making it less likely that the cable connectors will slip throughthe cavities 306A, 306B unaided.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a cable tether system 400 that includesa base member 402, a cable connector 404, an elongate member 406, andcavity 408 formed around the cable connector 404. In the illustratedembodiment, the base member 402 is a cable or integrated with a cable.The elongate member 406 and cavity 408 can be in a form similar to thatof elongate members 304A, 305B and cavities 306A, 306B, respectively, ofFIG. 3.

The cable connector of a second cable can be threaded through the cavity408 and connected with the cable connector 404. In some embodiments, thesecond cable connector can be easily threaded through the cavity 408when in a first orientation and not easily removed when in a secondorientation. In certain embodiments, the elongate member 406 isstretched to allow the second cable connector to pass through. In someembodiments, the elongate member 406 can be shortened, tightened, ortwisted to reduce the size of the cavity 408 and to make it moredifficult for the connector on the second cable to be removed. Incertain embodiments, the second cable can include a fastener, such as aclamp, clasp, pin, hook, buckle, etc. to further secure the cablestogether.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cable tethersystem 450. In the illustrated embodiment, the cable tether system 450includes a base member 452, an engagement portion 454 with two cavities455A, 455B, a cable connector 456, and an elongate member 458 with anengagement portion 460. In the illustrated embodiment, the base member402 is a cable or integrated with a cable. The engagement portions 454,460 and elongate member 458 are similar to the engagement portions andelongate members discussed previously with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

During use, the elongate member 458 wraps around a second cable and theengagement portions 454, 460 secure the distal end of the elongatemember 458 to the base member 452, thereby securing the base member 452to the second cable. In the illustrated embodiment, the engagementportion 460 is inserted into the first cavity 455A and moved into asecured position within the second cavity 455B. Many alternatives existfor the engagement portions 454, 460, as described in greater detailabove with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cable tether system 500 that includesa base member 502, elongate member 506 and engagement portions 504, 508.The base member 502 and elongate member 506 can be formed in a mannersimilar to that described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the engagement portion 504 includes a cavityand the engagement portion 508 includes a protrusion, however, otherconfigurations can be used as described above with reference to FIGS. 1Aand 1B. During use, the elongate member 506 is wrapped around two cablesand the engagement portion 508 is secured within the engagement portion504, thereby securing the two cables to the cable tether system 500.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views of a cable tether system 600 in anopen and closed state, respectively. The cable tether system 600includes a base member 602, a first engagement portion 604 with twocavities 605A, 605B, an elongate member 606, a second engagement portion608 with a protrusion, and third and fourth engagement portions 610A,610B.

The base member 602 can be made of a plastic or other flexible material,as discussed previously with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. The basemember 602 can be wrapped around a portion of a cable (not shown) nearthe cable connector (not shown). In some embodiments, the base member602 encircles at least a portion of the cable. When wrapped around thecable, the engagement portions 610A, 610B couple to secure the cabletether system 600 to the cable (not shown), as illustrated in FIG. 6B.The engagement portions 610A, 610B can be formed as a protrusion andcavity, or other configuration as described above with reference toFIGS. 1A and 1B.

Similar to the cable tether systems discussed previously and withreference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 8, the elongate member 606 can wraparound a second cable. The protrusion of the engagement portion 608 canbe inserted into the cavity 605A of the engagement portion 604 and movedinto the cavity 605B to secure the distal end of the engagement portion608 to the base member 602. In this way, the two cables can be securedto the cable tether system 600. It is to be understood that variousconfigurations can be used to implement the engagement portions 604,608, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 7 is a perspective views of a cable tether system 700 that can befitted to a cable (not shown). The cable tether system 700 includes abase member 702, a first engagement portion 704 with two cavities 705A,705B, an elongate member 706, and a second engagement portion 708 with aprotrusion.

The base member 702 can be made of a plastic or other relatively rigidmaterial that can substantially maintain its shape. The base member 702is formed to include a hollowed portion 710 and to fit snugly against acable (not shown). In some embodiments, the base member 702 is snappedonto a cable (not shown) near the cable connector (not shown) andpartially encloses a portion of the first cable. In some embodiments,the base member 702 forms a sleeve that encircles at least a portion ofthe first cable. In certain embodiments, the base member 702 does notencircle a portion of the first cable. Similar to the cable tethersystems discussed previously, the elongate member 706 can wrap around asecond cable. The protrusion of the engagement portion 708 can beinserted into the cavity 705A of the engagement portion 704 and movedinto the cavity 705B to secure the distal end of the engagement portion708 to the base member 702. In this way, the two cables can be connectedto the cable tether system 700. It is to be understood that variousconfigurations can be used to implement the engagement portions 704,808, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Reference throughout this specification to “some embodiments,” “certainembodiments,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least some embodiments. Thus, appearances of thephrases “in some embodiments” or “in an embodiment” in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment and may refer to one or more of the same or differentembodiments. Furthermore, the particular features, structures orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, inone or more embodiments.

As used in this application, the terms “comprising,” “including,”“having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in anopen-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features,acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in itsinclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, forexample, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some,or all of the elements in the list.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the above description ofembodiments, various features are sometimes grouped together in a singleembodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one ormore of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure,however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that anyclaim require more features than are expressly recited in that claim.Rather, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than allfeatures of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,”“might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/orstates. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended toimply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required forone or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarilyinclude logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting,whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to beperformed in any particular embodiment.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the features illustrated may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. As will be recognized,certain embodiments of the inventions described herein may be embodiedwithin a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits setforth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately fromothers.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cable tether system, comprising: a plurality ofengagement portions comprising a first engagement portion, a secondengagement portion, a third engagement portion, and a fourth engagementportion; a base member comprising at least the first engagement portionand the second engagement portion; a first elongate member extendingaway from the base member and configured to enclose at least a portionof a first cable, the first elongate member including at least the thirdengagement portion configured to couple with the first engagementportion; and a second elongate member extending away from the basemember in a substantially opposite direction as the first elongatemember and configured to enclose a portion of a second cable, the secondelongate member including at least the fourth engagement portionconfigured to couple with the second engagement portion.
 2. The cabletether system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and secondengagement portions comprise at least one of a protrusion and a cavity,and each of the third and fourth engagement portions comprise adifferent one of at least one of the protrusion and the cavity.
 3. Thecable tether system of claim 3, wherein the cavity comprises a firstcavity and a second cavity, wherein the first cavity is larger than thesecond cavity.
 4. A cable tether system, comprising: a base memberincluding at least a first engagement portion and a second engagementportion; a first elongate member extending away from the base member andenclosing at least a portion of a first cable, the first elongate memberincluding at least a third engagement portion coupled with the firstengagement portion; and a second elongate member extending away from andenclosing at least a portion of a second cable, the second elongatemember including at least a fourth engagement portion coupled with thesecond engagement portion.
 5. The cable tether system of claim 4,wherein the first cable is a patient monitor cable and the second cableis a physiological sensor cable.
 6. The cable tether system of claim 4,wherein the second elongate member extends away from the base member ina substantially opposite direction from the first elongate member. 7.The cable tether system of claim 4, wherein each of the first and secondengagement portions comprise at least one of a protrusion and a cavity,and each of the third and fourth engagement portions comprise adifferent one of at least one of the protrusion and the cavity.
 8. Thecable tether system of claim 4, wherein the first, second, third andfourth engagement portions comprise at least one of a cavity andprotrusion, hook and loop fastener, clamp, clasp, pin, buckle, hook,screw, tape, string, and wire.
 9. The cable tether system of claim 4,wherein the third engagement portion extends into the first engagementportion and the fourth engagement portion extends into the secondengagement portion.
 10. The cable tether system of claim 4, wherein thebase member covers at least one side of connectors of the first andsecond cables.
 11. A cable tether system, comprising: a base memberincluding at least a first engagement portion; an elongate memberextending away from the base member and including at least a secondengagement portion, wherein the elongate member wraps around a firstcable and a second cable and the second engagement portion couples withthe first engagement portion.
 12. A cable tether system, comprising: abase member; and an elongate member extending away from the base memberand configured to surround at least a portion of a first cable.
 13. Thecable tether system of claim 12, wherein the base member is a secondcable and the first elongate member extends away from the second cableand forms a cavity to surround the first cable.
 14. The cable tethersystem of claim 13, wherein the size of the cavity is reduced by atleast one of shortening, tightening, and twisting the first elongatemember.
 15. The cable tether system of claim 13, wherein the firstelongate member is stretched or loosened to allow the second cable to beinserted in the cavity.
 16. The cable tether system of claim 12, whereinthe base member comprises a first engagement portion and the firstelongate member comprises a second engagement portion that couples withthe first engagement portion.
 17. The cable tether system of claim 16,wherein the base member is a cable.
 18. The cable tether system of claim16, wherein the elongate member is further configured to wrap around aportion of a second cable.
 19. The cable tether system of claim 16,wherein the base member wraps around at least a portion of a secondcable and further comprises third and fourth engagement portions,wherein the third engagement portions couples with the fourth engagementportion to secure the base member to the second cable.
 20. The cabletether system of claim 16, wherein the base member comprises a hollowportion that at least partially encloses at least a portion of a secondcable.